From Rock Bottom To Redemption
From Rock Bottom to Redemption: Peter’s Story of Hope and Healing
This past Sunday at Grace, we took a break from our regular rhythm to gather for Second Breakfast—coffee, muffins, and community in our Fellowship Hall. But what made this morning truly special wasn’t just the meal—it was the story.
Pastor Scott sat down with Peter McMullen, a member of our Grace community and the Executive Director at Lighthouse Mission. What followed was a raw, honest, and deeply moving testimony of redemption—of a life touched and transformed by the grace of God.
Peter’s journey is not a simple one. Raised in Pine Falls, Peter grew up in a Roman Catholic household and carried the faith of his childhood into adulthood—but like many, he struggled with the silence of a distant God. After early success in business, health issues and undiagnosed anxiety began to chip away at the life he had built. Alcohol soon became both a comfort and a curse.
Over time, Peter’s drinking spiraled from evening coping into full-day dependence. The consequences were devastating: financial ruin, the breakdown of his marriage, separation from his children, incarceration, and eventually homelessness. His rock bottom came in the summer of 2018, alone in his basement, ready to give up on life.
But God wasn’t done.
Peter shared the moment of his attempted suicide—and the divine interruption that followed. He woke up in a hospital room, unsure of how he got there. It would become a turning point.
A friend from his past reached out, and a bed opened at Adult & Teen Challenge. There, Peter found safety. He also found Jesus—not just as a concept, but as a Savior who met him in his deepest fear, shame, and pain. It wasn’t a flash of light or a spiritual high. It was trust, trembling and honest: “God, if you’re there, I give it all to you.”
And God showed up.
From small prayers answered (like a bottle of antiperspirant!) to large ones (his family’s finances miraculously stabilizing), Peter began to see the hand of God in the details. He graduated from the recovery program, entered their leadership training, and was offered a role at Lighthouse Mission—where he now leads a team that serves Winnipeg’s most vulnerable. Many of them walk the same path Peter once did.
And the redemption didn’t stop there. His wife Veronica and daughters, once forced to walk away, are now back in his life. They are together. Thriving. Living proof of God’s restoring power.
Peter’s story is not just a testimony—it’s an invitation. An invitation to believe that no one is too far gone. That the worst moment of your life is not the end of your story. That grace can reach into jail cells, shelters, detox centres, and broken homes and bring hope.
As Peter said, “Where my imagination ended is where God began.”
If you’re walking through addiction, or walking alongside someone who is, please don’t give up. Reach out. We will walk with you.
Because there is always hope. Always.